Nicholas Harding’s Central Station stars on sluggish saleroom night

It was Nicholas Harding’s night at Smith & Singer’s end-of-year auction on Tuesday, when a painting by the late Sydney artist created a welcome frisson of excitement amid often sluggish bidding on other lots.

On an evening when few pictures sailed past their pre-sale estimates, Eddy Avenue (2), 2002, done in Harding’s typically thick oil paint, went for $75,000 on an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. (The $75,000 includes 25 per cent buyer’s premium, as do all other sale amounts in this article).